From the Gutters of New York to the Stars of Hollywood
by Irhaboggle
Summary: Life's been rough for June and Cora, but by holding onto each other and their dreams, they both know that someday they will make it. Someday, even if it only happens in dreaming, they will go from the gutter to the stars, and they will be together for the whole time.


"Lying in the gutter, looking at the stars," June found herself humming a song she didn't even know. At the moment, she was lying on her apartment's dingy old couch (it was the only piece of furniture left in their home) with her roommate, Cora, asleep in her arms. The Great Depression had struck the entire country fiercely and June and Cora were no exception. Instead, it took all of their time and effort just to maintain their one-room apartment with the single couch in it. Despite how rough things were, though, June felt quite peaceful at the moment, idly stroking her sleeping companion's short brown locks and humming her little song all the while. Perhaps it was because, even though she was suffering from a shortage of everything (food, water, clothing, space, furniture, cash, etc), she still had Cora, and Cora was more than enough to help June forget all of her other woes. It made June's heart swell with love and affection to feel Cora curl up beside her.

"Listening to her breathing as she fights on through her battle scars, free as any bird with wings as wide," June continued to admire her sleeping companion. "And I'm free when I am with her," she murmured, believing it entirely. Though she was in the gutter, June felt like one among the stars because of the heavenly body sleeping beside her own. Cora always managed to make everything feel better, even when life was at its lowest, like now. It was cold and June was hungry, but when Cora was near, she was happy, and happy enough to be blind to everything else. Cora took away her worry and gave her hope, hope that things would get better and that they would one day achieve their dreams, just like they'd been planning for so many years now. June continued to watch Cora sleep under the gentle glow of the stars, genuinely feeling hopeful for their future together the longer they lay side by side. If Heaven existed, this was it.

And Cora felt much the same way.

"Dancing down the hallway, laughing at her chains," Cora hummed to herself as she watched June somehow find the strength and joviality to skip out of their apartment the next morning and down the street. It didn't matter that breakfast had been one piece of bread shared between the two of them and it didn't matter that the clothes they wore today were the same ones they'd worn for the entirety of the past week. Instead, June managed to smile through it all and she had grabbed Cora's hand when it was time to go, waltzing down the hallway with her and bursting out onto the empty streets of NYC. Despite how dismal everything looked, June continued to cavort her way through the city. Today was going to be another grueling day of trying to find a job, but at least June seemed to be in good spirits.

"Others fade away yet somehow she remains. Strong as any storm and just as wild!" Cora observed softly. As June continue to run along, the few stragglers that were out on the street all shot her dirty, wary looks, confused and suspicious as to how someone could be so happy during times like these. Cora, however, was in love with how easily June was able to ignore all the judgmental stares she was getting. While the other unhappy Americans faded away in a gray fog of despair and distrust, June seemed to shine with life, light and color, unaffected by their misery. Was June even human? Cora didn't know, but what she did know was that:

"I am strong when I am with her," the brunette smiled after the blond and picked up her own pace in order to catch up. Cora always viewed herself as being meek and mild, demure and submissive. June was the hotheaded troublemaker of the two of them, but whenever Cora was with June, Cora felt as though some of June's natural energy and courage was bleeding out onto her. It was a wonderful feeling!

"Yes I know, they could separate us," Cora admitted, referring to the general chaos occurring within America right now. "This is true. They don't even hate us. It's just what they do. But if only in my dreams, I will follow you, from the gutter to the stars," she promised as she ran after June, and this was a promise she intended to keep. Even if time and trial should separate them, Cora would still live to see a day where she and June could find the happy life together that they had always wanted. Even if it only happened in dreams, it would happen someday. Perhaps it was only June's courage that was talking, but Cora was certain of this!

Sadly, the whole morning yielded nothing. Half the places they stopped at were empty and the other half had employers refusing to hire. Then, in the rare moment either of them managed to find a place that needed workers, they would either be rejected or offered a deal not high enough to support them. In short, their morning of job-hunting had been a bust so far.

To revive their sense of hope, June finally called for a pause in their job search and took them to Central Park, where they used to spend many days and nights together, walking or sitting, talking or laughing. Now, the park was empty and uncared for. Wild plants devoured what used to be flat, smooth terrain. It was nothing but a storm of thistles and thorns now. But even so, June trudged on into the heart of the park where a fountain stood. No water except what fell from the heavens remained in its stony basin and ivy crawled along cracks within the fountain. June, however, ignored these facts and hopped up upon the smooth edge of the fountain and pretended that she was performing. It was a comedy sketch she was trying to act out by herself and Cora laughed, acting as the cooperative audience. Silly as her "show" was, June's acting was amazing!

But June wasn't just trying to make Cora laugh by performing this one-girl play. She was trying to remind Cora of their dreams. It was how they'd met, after all. Cora was interested in becoming a screenwriter while June wanted to be an actress. They were a match made in Heaven, both of them having met in a theater with the intent on going to Hollywood. Even now, despite the Great Depression, that dream had yet to die, and June was fighting hard to keep it alive. They would make it big on the silver screens someday, they just needed time. They would live out their dreams of moving up from the gutters of New York to the stars of Hollywood. June just knew it! And Cora could see that June was trying to encourage her, as well as humor her, so Cora decided to return the favor.

"I will wash your stockings, lace your dresses tight," she promised from her seat in front of the fountain. She was referring to the costumes June so loved to wear. They were all rather out of style, coming from the 1920s, but June didn't care. In her own mind, she'd never quite left the 1920s even though the calendar had. June was just far too enamored with the idea of flappers to ever be willing to part from that decade, no matter what the clock said. Cora found it endearing.

"I'll be waiting in the wings," she continued, but June stopped her there.

"No! On the stage with me!" she insisted. Although she knew Cora was more interested in writing films than acting in them, June was still adamant that they, one day, would star in something together. They simply had to! June even extended a hand to pull Cora up on the fountain and Cora just couldn't say no, hopping right up to stand at her proper place: June's side. They would leave the gutters of New York together, so they simply had to become the stars of Hollywood together as well! Nothing else would make any sense at all for the two lovebirds.

"Alright," she agreed, still holding June's hand tightly in her own as she balanced on the edge of the fountain.

"When the film stops rolling," June began next, twirling Cora a little.

"I'll be there," Cora finished for her, giggling as she spun, hand still holding June's.

"You won't go nowhere," June agreed.

"I'm home when I'm with you," Cora promised, then she dared to lean in and kiss June, pretending that any watching audience would scream with delight instead of disgust. June seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because as she was kissing Cora, she dipped the girl down lowly, just like she used to when they would swing dance together. Cora couldn't suppress another giggle of delight.

But at last, the two women knew they had to leave the park. Although it was abandoned, people would still stop in looking for things to steal. Neither June nor Cora wanted to be there when the gangs would arrive. Besides, they had more job-searching, much as they hated the idea.

"With the slightest touch I'm in New York's Times Square, swinging 'round the lampposts! Breathing in clean air!" June declared, hopping up onto a nearby lamppost to do as she had sung. She was trying to hold onto that glorious feeling of performing for as long as she could.

"Will they understand us?" Cora asked next, a note of worry finally betraying her true feelings.

"Just be brave," June replied encouragingly, hopping down from the lamppost to take Cora's hand in her own again. She even kissed Cora's knuckles gently as she offered up her solace. She knew what was worrying Cora so, and it hurt her heart to see the girl looking so scared.  
"I'm brave when I am with you," Cora replied, the sadness melting from her face as June kissed the back of her hand so sweetly. "Yes I know, they could separate us. This is true," the girl acknowledged.

"They don't even hate us, it's just what they do!" June replied with a shrug. She knew that for all the brave faces Cora wore, the Great Depression still scared her terribly. But why shouldn't it? It was a miracle they weren't dead yet! And an even bigger one that they at least still had food and a home! It would be so easy to force them apart, but somehow, they were still together. It just terrified Cora that things would fall apart before the Depression ended.

But June tried to comfort her, reminding her that the Depression, though dangerous, was not a living enemy. It was not actively strategizing against them. This brought some level of comfort to both of the girls because it implied that as hard as life could get, it wasn't like a personal attack. To them, this meant that it would still be possible to survive together, though it wouldn't always be easy. But if something ever did happen to make them part, whether it was death or disagreement, June made a promise to Cora:

"But if only in my dreams, I will follow you from the gutter to the stars!" Even if a happy ending would only come in dreams, June promised she would still be there with Cora to witness it, no matter what. It would happen one way or another, in this life or some other one.  
Suitably soothed by June's vow, Cora let the blond to lead her down the dark, dirty streets as they headed to their next job opportunity.

"What is that over there?" she asked suddenly, noticing a flyer fluttering in the wind. It was stuck in a crack in the ground.  
"It's a trap," June was instantly on guard, thinking that the flyer might contain a less-than-savory way to make money in these trying times.

"It's a stage!" Cora replied, picking up the paper. Though it had been wrinkled and faded by time, there was an outline of a stage upon it.

"What is this in my hand?" she asked, trying to make out the words above the picture of the stage.  
"It's a scrap," June muttered, peeping over Cora's shoulder and trying to discern a message from it as well.

"It's a page! From a playbill!" Cora realized, and then, although this was completely false, she continued on. "With both of our names!"  
"Side by side," June caught onto Cora's joke at once and indulged in it, pretending that their names were at the top of the page and that it was an ad for the play Cora was in the process of writing.  
"As it should be!" Cora nodded.

"It could be," June replied, still holding onto the dreams of their past.  
"My darling, just look!" Cora cried, handing the faded paper to June.

"It's a carpeted floor!" June agreed.

"It's a dressing room door!" Cora continued.

"It's a crowd wanting more!" June echoed at once.  
"I can see it now!" they declared in unison as the faded bill suddenly came to life in their minds, bright and colorful once again. Suddenly, another wave of hope washed over the two young women. They would go from the gutters of New York to the stars of Hollywood! They just knew it! "Yes I know, they could separate us," it was June who started up their little song this time.

"This is true," Cora continued for her, completing their duet as they continued to waltz down the sidewalk, the playbill still in their hands.

"They don't even hate us! It's just what they do," June sang.

"But if only in my dreams, I will follow you!" Cora harmonized. "From the gutter to the stars!"

"Let me show you what living is!" June agreed, and they continued to dance, ignoring every strange stare they received from onlookers. Let them gawk and glare, what did June and Cora care? They were happy! Why should they let that be ruined by people who didn't understand? Wasn't life bleak enough already? So on they danced, ignorant to everything except each other.

"They could separate us. This is true. They don't even hate us. It's just what they do. But if only in my dreams, I will follow you from the gutter to the stars! The stars!" and together they would go from the gutters of New York to the stars of Hollywood!

**AN: This June/Cora fic was based off Emilie Autumn's Emily/Veronica song in her new album with songs from her upcoming musical. I freaking loved all the songs on that new EA album but this one had SOOO many June/Cora vibes that I HAD to write it out for them. (Is it bad I'm in love with this ship even though it only has like 5 minutes of screentime? LOL. What can I say? I'm a shameless queer who ships other queers hard). **

**Also, to explain the plot in case it's confusing, it's literally just June and Cora walking down the ruined streets of NYC, trying to keep their spirits up by reaffirming their goals for the future and their love for each other, despite everything they're dealing with.**

**The first verse takes place over night and is June singing about Cora. The next verse is the following morning as they set out for the city and it's Cora singing about June. The third verse, where the back-and-forth starts, is them goofing around an abandoned park. After that, they return to the streets and find the flyer that reignites their faith in their dreams. **

**(Long story short, it's just shameless June/Cora fluff because I'm trash and I love EA and her new album is AMAZING)!**


End file.
